The latest Investor Index survey released by the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) reveals that 40 per cent of Canadians failed a general investment knowledge test and 30 per cent believe they have been approached with an investment fraud at some point in their life.

While there are many valid reasons for holding money market funds (MMFs), Canadians hold $56 billion in Canadian MMFs that earn almost nothing. Fully one-quarter of all 257 Canadian C$MMFs are actually losing money. This means Canadians are missing out on potential interest income of $300 - $500 million.

Canadian investors are twice as likely to believe they will have enough money to meet their retirement needs (62 per cent) as compared to their non-investing counterparts (31 per cent). This is just one of the findings in the 2010 Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) Survey on Retirement and Investing .

Canadians express greater confidence and optimism, and believe that they are knowledgeable and responsible about investing, according to research commissioned by the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA). Yet, their behaviour indicates otherwise.

The latest Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) Investor Study: Understanding the Social Impact of Investment Fraud finds that fraud often results in a loss of trust between victims and those close to them, as well as a loss of confidence in the system as a whole.

According to this study from the Canadian Securities Administrators, although the majority of Canadians understand the importance of being informed investors, gaps still exist when it comes to putting their knowledge into practice. For example, although 86% of respondents understand that suspicious investment opportunities should be reported, only 14% actually do so.